The Propylaea on Munich’s Königsplatz are always an eye-catcher. From this Tuesday evening onwards, the building built by Leo von Klenze stands out even more, because it shines entirely in pink and is covered with pink bows. The seemingly cheerful campaign has a serious background: It is part of the breast cancer campaign of the Estée Lauder company, which has been committed to improved early detection and prevention for almost 20 years.
The campaign was founded in 1992 by Evelyn Lauder, who was affected herself. Every October, Lauder promotes the campaign in more than 70 countries through activities such as lighting prominent buildings pink. The pink ribbon is considered an international symbol of solidarity with women who have breast cancer or are at particularly high risk of developing breast cancer.
The event at Königsplatz was designed by the light artists from “We are Video”, who work a lot for theater and opera stages and have drawn attention to themselves through numerous light art events in public spaces – including the Munich Eisbachwelle with an elaborate video mapping last April played. The Estée Lauder company also became aware of the artists through this campaign.
The current light art campaign at Königsplatz, which will only be on view until October 13th, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., works with AI-controlled projections, digital body painting and an interactive information offering. The loop projections are interactive: There are two marked “action areas” in front of the Propylaea. Anyone who moves inside is captured by infrared cameras and their movements are recorded. The AI then uses the horizontal movements to calculate the loops that are projected onto the propylaea.
Digital body painting takes place in the right tower, and the ribbons are projected onto the visitors. If this doesn’t become the next Instagram hit! An augmented reality installation in the left tower provides information about breast cancer using a QR code. In addition, a 400 meter long pink laser beam connects the Propylaea with the obelisk on Karolinenplatz. It symbolizes the shared commitment to a world without breast cancer, explains Raphael Kurig from “We are Video”. So if you really don’t know where the Propylaea are, just follow the pink laser beam.